Author: The Conversation

The world is upside down right now due to coronavirus. Although there are early signs of tentative re-openings for trial-and-error life after quarantine, we cannot — and arguably should not — downplay the ongoing challenges and uncertainties for our children. Some have contended that talking to children about the COVID-19 outbreak is an opportunity to build resiliency. Psychologists commonly explain resilience as “how well a person can adapt to events in their lives … when faced with a tragedy, natural disaster, health concern, relationship, work or school problem.” If we want our children and youth to emerge from this world emergency as…

Internet connected devices need power. That either means connecting them to the grid, which limits what we can use them for, or using batteries. So as the Internet of Things grows and more and more internet-enabled devices and sensors are rolled out as is expected, it could produce billions of extra batteries that have to be recycled every year, or else will just be thrown away.

Information technology is enabling people to read, play and communicate – and, now, help the government trace the path of the infection via an app. The elderly and other vulnerable groups are under electronic as well as human care.

Many people in the community are wearing face masks and gloves in an attempt to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

They might put on these items to go to the shops, or perhaps when taking a walk through the neighbourhood.

Many new phrases have entered our vocabulary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. “Zoom fatigue” refers to the mental exhaustion associated with online video conferencing.

Not so long ago, the concept of a fully automated store seemed something of a curiosity. Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of relying on computers and robotics, and checking out groceries by simply picking them off the shelf doesn’t seem so peculiar after all.

With much of the world in lockdown, our time spent on video calls has risen rapidly. Video conferencing has expanded from being a tool for business meetings to something we use to socialise, worship, and even date on.

We are experiencing the biggest remote work experiment in history – but many are beginning to imagine life after lockdown. Amid unprecedented global job losses, concerns about transport infrastructure and the continuing need for workplace social distancing, governments are launching back-to-work plans.

The coronavirus pandemic has spawned reports of unregulated health products and fake cures being sold on the dark web. These include black market PPE, illicit medications such as the widely touted “miracle” drug chloroquine, and fake COVID-19 “cures” including blood supposedly from recovered coronavirus patients.

Contact tracing has long been used in response to disease outbreaks. It is simply the idea of asking an infected person who they have been in contact with and then notifying the people in question to try and control the spread of the disease. Some countries have been employing this during the current crisis. The World Health Organisation has consistently said that “tracing every contact must be the backbone of the response in every country”.